Jeff Lawson, developer turned
CEO of Twilio (one of Bloomberg
Businessweek's Top 50 Companies to Watch in 2021),
creates a new playbook for unleashing the full potential of software developers in any organization, showing how to help management
utilize this coveted and valuable workforce to enable
growth, solve a wide range of business problems, and drive digital transformation.
From banking and retail to insurance and finance,
every industry is turning digital, and every company needs the best software to
win the hearts and minds of customers. The landscape has shifted from the
classic build vs. buy question, to
one of build vs. die. Companies have
to get this right to survive. But how do they make this transition?
Software developers are sought after, highly paid,
and desperately needed to compete in the modern, digital economy. Yet most
companies treat them like digital factory workers without really understanding
how to unleash their full potential. Lawson argues that developers are the
creative workforce who can solve major business problems and create hit
products for customers—not just grind through rote tasks. From Google and
Amazon, to one-person online software companies—companies that bring software
developers in as partners are winning. Lawson shows how leaders who build
industry changing software products consistently do three things well. First,
they understand why software developers matter more than ever. Second, they
understand developers and know how to motivate them. And third, they invest in
their developers' success.
As a software developer and public company CEO,
Lawson uses his unique position to bridge the language and tools executives use
with the unique culture of high performing, creative software developers. Ask
Your Developer is a toolkit to help business leaders, product managers, technical
leaders, software developers, and executives achieve their common goal—building
great digital products and experiences.
How to compete in the digital economy? In short: Ask
Your Developer.
“I’ve been studying culture in companies for a long time, and I’ve talked to hundreds of CEOs. What Jeff and the team have done is one of the most complete and thoughtful approaches to culture I’ve come across yet.
Ask Your Developer is a must-read for any leader who is looking for a playbook from one of the most intentional CEOs I’ve interviewed.”
